Researchers have discovered a surprisingly simple way to get kids to eat more veggiesThe Washington PostResearchers at Texas A&M University, looking for patterns in food consumption among elementary school children, found an interesting quirk about when and why kids choose to eat their vegetables. After analyzing plate waste data from nearly 8,500 students, it seems there's at least one variable that tends to affect whether kids eat their broccoli, spinach or green beans more than anything: what else is on the plate.

Amazon begins eating U.K. grocers' lunch with butter, cheese deliveryThe Wall Street Journal (subscriber story)Amazon.com Inc., is expanding its same-day delivery service in the U.K. to include items like butter and cheese, a move that comes as the online retailer is widely expected to launch a full grocery service in the country. Amazon already offers a range of nonperishable products like toilet paper, diapers, water and coffee to members of its Prime service in Birmingham and London.

Consumers cooking more, stocking pantries lessFood Business NewsConsumers are willing to spend more money and time to make healthy meals, according to a new report from Acosta. Forty-four percent of U.S. shoppers said they eat healthy foods despite the higher price, up from 39 percent who reported as such a year before. The figure rises to 51 percent for those with children, Acosta said.

Pennsylvania Republicans back McCarthyPoliticoEleven of 13 House Republicans from Pennsylvania have endorsed Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in his bid for speaker.
The Pennsylvania delegation is among the largest in Congress, and the overwhelming support of its GOP members signals that the current majority leader is picking up broad support in his campaign to replace Speaker John Boehner.

Campaigns fail to excite 2012 big-money donorsThe HillA number of the most generous donors from the 2012 presidential campaign are sitting on their checkbooks, unsure of which candidate to support after a summer that scorched establishment politicians and gave life to outsiders such as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Donald Trump.

Sen. Hoeven to introduce voluntary GMO labeling billFood Chemical NewsSen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., is expected to introduce an industry-backed GMO labeling bill after a hearing next month, said Chuck Conner, CEO of National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, at a Tuesday meeting of produce businesses.

GOP full throttle on Obamacare repealPoliticoCongressional Republicans have agreed on a plan to use a fast-track budget procedure to send an Obamacare repeal to the president’s desk, a largely symbolic move – given an expected veto – but one conservatives have been pushing for since the GOP took control of Congress.

Japan, U.S. agree to aim for conclusion of TPP talks this weekThe Japan TimesPrime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden agreed Tuesday that the two countries will cooperate in an effort to conclude talks on a Pacific free trade initiative this week, according to statements by both governments.

Meat price reporting bill heads to President's deskUSAgNetThe National Pork Producers Council and other farm groups are urging the president to quickly sign into law legislation reauthorizing the livestock mandatory price reporting law. The current statute is set to expire Sept. 30.

China's Bright snaps up Spanish food group MiquelReutersChinese food conglomerate Bright Food Group Co Ltd has completed a $123.52 million deal for Spanish food distributor Miquel Alimentació, a spokesman said in a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday.

'Ajinomoto' to set up frozen food plant in U.S.Food World NewsAjinomoto Co. is reinforcing its business infrastructure for frozen rice products to expand its frozen food business in North America. "The company will build a new production line for frozen rice products at the Oakland Plant of Ajinomoto Windsor Inc., to expand production capacity and create an efficient supply system throughout North America," Food Ingredients First reported.

PepsiCo, General Mills warn of future water, food shortagesThe StreetOne of the most significant future risks to the packaged food industry isn't consumers losing interest in their products – it's the difficulty in delivering products of any kind amid a shrinking water supply thanks to global warming. Another big problem: surging demand for food on a global scale.

David Biegger named Chief Supply Chain Officer of ConAgra FoodsBusiness WireConAgra Foods, Inc., announced the appointment of David Biegger as Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, effective Monday, Oct. 5. “We are pleased to welcome Dave to ConAgra,” said ConAgra CEO Sean Connolly. “He has a wealth of relevant experience and will be a terrific leader of our talented supply chain team.”

McDonald's build-your-own-burger under renovationBloomberg via Crain's Chicago Business McDonald's Corp., seeking to snap a sales slump by letting diners customize meals, is renaming its build- your-own burger program and replacing two unpopular flavors. The program's name was changed to Chef Crafted from TasteCrafted, Lisa McComb, a company spokeswoman, said in an e- mail. New flavors include maple bacon dijon and buffalo bacon, while hot jalapeno and deluxe were removed.

The GMO controversy: Time to move on?Fortune MagazineIs it time to retire the debate over whether GMOs — genetically modified organisms — are the devil’s spawn or the best thing that’s ever happened to agriculture? It may be — not because it’s not a legitimate debate, but because obsessing over it has slowed progress on so many other fronts. That was one surprising conclusion of several of the participants of the “Sustainable Food Revolution” panel at Fortune Brainstorm E, the annual energy and technology summit in Austin, Texas.

Royal Frozen Food recalls frozen food products produced without a fully implemented HACCP planUSDARoyal Frozen Food, a Los Angeles, California establishment, is recalling approximately 230 pounds of frozen beef and pork products that were not produced under a fully implemented Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan. A portion of these products are missing the USDA mark of inspection and may also contain egg, an undeclared allergen, which was not declared on the product label, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced.

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